Editing Ballad of The Sneak

[[Image:balladofthesneak.png|thumb|A little song and dance]]

'''The Ballad of The Sneak'''

Performed by Da Vinci's Notebook. 

The [[1936]] equivalent of [[The Cheat Theme Song]], sung by [[The Barbershop Trio]].

'''Cast (in order of appearance):''' [[The Barbershop Trio]], [[The Sneak]], [[The Guy at the Depot]], [[The Strong Bad]], [[The Homestar Runner]], [[Fat Dudley]], [[Sickly Sam]], [[1936 Marzipan]], [[Strong Man]], [[The Football Player]], [[Mr. Shmallow]](sort of), [[The Kaiser]].

Page Title: '''The Ballad of The Sneak'''
__FORCETOC__
== Lyrics ==
<pre>
I know a lively fellow,
who is really quite unique.
He's small and smart and yellow, 
with a rodent-like physique.
He doesn't play the cello,
and he never deigns to speak.
He's The Strong Bad's Leporello,
and they just call him The Sneak!

If you've got a caper
then you know who to call.
It's the Sneak!
It's The Sneak!
Who's the Dapper Swindler
out of Tammany Hall?
Mo-mo-lo-de-oh-do
It's The Sneak!

That charming little whatzit
who's The Strong Man's greatest pal?
It's The Sneak!
It's The Sneak!
Who did the Hully-Gully
on the Panama Canal?
Doo-wacka-doo-wacka-doo
It's The Sneak!

{instrumental}

Who's that jaunty jackanapes
with moxie and pizazz?
It's The Sneak! (Yes, sir!)
It's The Sneak!
Who's been drinking bootleg hooch
and listening to the jazz?
Mo-mo-lo-de-oh-do
It's The Sneak!

Who captures all the flapper girls' affections?
Who made off with my Fluffy Puff confections?
He's dastardly!
He loves catastrophe!
His schemes are masterly!
Takes tea at half past three!
That sneaky sneak is sneakin' all over town!

Who dropped The Homestar Runner
from his flying machine? (Humdinger!)
Is it The Sneak? (28 skidoo!)
It's The Sneak!
Who put a bengal tiger
in The Kaiser's latrine? (Ach Du lieber!)
It's The Sneak! (What's the rumpus?)
You know it's The Sneak! (Take it home!)
The Sneakity Sneak all day long!

{THE HOMESTAR RUNNER: What?}
</pre>

== Fun Facts ==
* The Sneak being silhouetted and going across hills may be a reference to the [http://www.homestarrunner.com/run2x.html 2nd intro] 
*"Leporello" is a reference to the [[Wikipedia:Mozart|Mozart]] opera ''[[Wikipedia:Don Giovanni|Don Giovanni]].'' In it, Leporello is a side-kick to the Spanish legend.
*"[[Wikipedia:Tammany Hall|Tammany Hall]]" was a political society in [[Wikipedia:New York City|New York City]] (19th/early 20th century), known for its corruption and power. ''William Tweed'' was a strong figure in Tammany. (see below)
*A political cartoon appears briefly which features [[The Sneak]] getting booted out of a door by a foot that says "'''Prohibition?'''" [[The Sneak]] has dropped a paper that says "'''Hoot-Smalley Tariff'''" and the caption reads "[[Wikipedia:Boss Tweed|Boss Tweed]] gives The Sneak what-for!"
*The "'''Hoot-Smalley Tariff'''" is a play off of the "'''[[Wikipedia:Smoot-Hawley Tariff|Smoot-Hawley Tariff]]'''" that was enacted during ''[[Wikipedia:Great Depression|The Great Depression]]'', largely considered to be one of the most inept pieces of legislation ever passed by congress.
**The '''Smoot-Hawley Tariff''' was also mentioned by Ben Stein's character in ''[[Wikipedia:Ferris Bueller's Day Off|Ferris Bueller's Day Off]]''.
*The Hully Gully was a hit in the 1960's, but wasn't around in 1936.
*The scene with the Sneak and the phonograph is a parody of a well-known advertisment for the old devices which featured a little dog looking into an RCA Victor gramophone ("His master's voice").
*Seeing as the Sneak is the 1936 parallel of [[The Cheat]], the scene of the Sneak's head being blown back and turned black by the phonograph is most likely a reference to [[The Cheat's Head Exploding]].
*Ach du lieber "Oh you dear/darling", is a reference to the Viennese folk song [http://www.globalia.net/donlope/fz/songs/Ach_Du_Lieber_Augustine.html "Ach du lieber Augustin"]. 
*The line may also be "Ach der lieber!", a reference to the song ''Return of the Red Baron'' by the Royal Guardsmen.  This is the curse the Baron yells at Snoopy, which I believe means "Oh dear!"
*A jackanapes is a whippersnapper. An upstart. A rascal.
*"Moxie" is the name of a soft drink (still made but hard to find) whose name became a term meaning liveliness and daring.
*[[Wikipedia:Bootleg|Bootleg]] [[Wikipedia:Hooch|Hooch]] (or "''Moonshine''") is homemade [[Wikipedia:whiskey|whiskey]] that is produced and/or sold through illegal methods.
*Just a little history lesson for everyone who doesn't know about [[Wikipedia:Prohibition|Prohibition]]:  
:Prohibition was a Constitutional amendment passed in 1919 that outlawed the sale, manufacture, and transportion of alcoholic beverages.  It was eventually repealed in 1933.  It's considered to be the most unsuccessful law ever.
*This toon, as well as [[That A Ghost]], refers to illegal alcohol, but Prohibition had been repealed before 1936/37, when the cartoons were supposedly made.
*"The Ballad of the Sneak" also appears on the album "Shame and Cookie Dough" by Paul and Storm, two former members of Da Vinci's Notebook.  The CD includes the original H*R.com version and one with commentary.
*"28 skidoo" is a play on "[[Wikipedia:23 skidoo|23 skidoo]]", a bit of slang popular during the [[Wikipedia:Roaring Twenties|Roaring Twenties]]. It generally meant to leave quickly, sometimes specifically meaning to "get out while the getting's good" (very appropriate for the Sneak). [http://www.webster-dictionary.org/definition/23%20skidoo Webster's Online Dictionary] offers a number of possible origins for the phrase.
*"What's the rumpus" is probably a reference to [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100150/ ''Miller's Crossing''], a Prohibition-era gangster movie, in which it is used as a greeting by several characters.
*This is effectively the 1936 version of [[The Cheat Theme Song]].
*The Sir Strong Bad watch is a reference to the old [http://www.boomertime.com/4%20Character/C2491/c2491.jpg Mickey Mouse watches] of the 1930s.
*The scene with the Sneak running inside an I-beam while other characters dance on top may be a visual reference to the old Atari game [http://www.atariage.com/software_page.html?SoftwareLabelID=360 Pitfall].  If nothing else, several cartoons from the time period featured characters playing in the I-beams of construction sites, such as Olive Oyl when she was hypnotized by Brutus in a Popeye cartoon.
*The Sneak is stomping on a player piano, which means he's not actually playing it.
*The poster with The Dappler Swindler has "known in the Northwest Territories as The Sneak" at the bottom.  The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest_Territories Northwest Territories] is a territory located in, well, the northwest of Canada.

== External Links ==
*[http://www.homestarrunner.com/sneakvideo.html watch "Ballad of The Sneak"]
*[http://www.homestarrunner.com/sneakvideo.swf view the flash file for "Ballad of The Sneak"]

[[Category:Shorts]]
[[Category:1936]]
[[Category:Songs]]
[[Category:The Sneak Filmography]]
[[Category:The Homestar Runner Filmography]]
[[Category:Fat Dudley Filmography]]
[[Category:The Guy at the Depot Filmography]]
[[Category:The Strong Bad Filmography]]
[[Category:Sickly Sam Filmography]]
[[Category:1936 Marzipan Filmography]]
[[Category:Strong Man Filmography]]
[[Category:The Kaiser Filmography]]